Turnout for Granholm's Mich. Promise Scholarship rally low

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Despite Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s plea for students to actively fight for the Michigan Promise Scholarship, turnout of MSU students at a rally Wednesday was lower than at other university rallies in Michigan.

“Maybe about 100 (were there) at the peak,” zoology junior Lila Wakeman said. “Many people left early.”

Granholm is on a tour of college campuses to encourage students to contact their lawmakers about the Michigan Promise Scholarship, which provided 96,000 students statewide and 8,200 MSU students up to $4,000 in college scholarships.

And student turnout to hear Granholm speak about elimination of the Promise Scholarship at other universities was more than double MSU’s turnout, officials said.

But Steve Mitchell, president of East Lansing-based Mitchell Research and Communications Inc., said at this point, lawmakers probably will not revisit issues like the Promise Scholarship, no matter what students do.

“This was debated extensively by both the House and the Senate before cuts were made,” he said. “It’s highly unlikely that the legislators will revisit it and make changes.”

Matt Marsden, a spokesman for the Senate Republicans, has said the Legislature will not work on last year’s budget items, including the Michigan Promise Scholarship.

Following her visit to MSU, Granholm made a lunchtime appearance Wednesday at Saginaw Valley State University, where about 400 students listened to the governor’s message, SVSU spokesman J.J. Boehm said.

“The cafeteria was overflowing,” Boehm said. “It was literally wall-to-wall with people; the dining tables were full. It was very well attended.”

And Thursday morning, Granholm encouraged a group of more than 300 Central Michigan University students to fight for the Promise Scholarship, CMU spokesman Steven Smith said.

“We turned away at least 100 students,” Smith said. “For some of these students, it makes a difference on whether or not they will be able to continue with their education.”

Following CMU, Granholm moved to the west side of the state where she addressed more than 300 students Thursday afternoon at Grand Valley State University, said GVSU spokeswoman Mary Eilleen Lyon.

At all universities, the governor has encouraged students to express their concerns about higher education funding and to make their voices heard.

Some MSU students said the fact that the Promise Scholarship already has been eliminated leaves them with little reason to fight.

“I think it’s already made up that it’s gone,” construction management Justin Lipsky said. “I lost it with everyone else.”

Mitchell said lawmakers will listen to students, but lawmakers also know age 18-29 is the smallest group of voters.

“The legislators are aware that this is a constituency that might not vote in the next election.”

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